A song for Alamoth (עֲלָמוֹת). “Alamoth denotes a virgin or young woman of marriageable age or newly married.” [1] “Alamoth probably denotes the treble, or part sung by female voice.” [2] So, this anthem of faith in God was originally sung in an high victorious key and not in a low somber voice.
In 1529, Martin Luther drew the inspiration for his hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” from Psalm 46. It was sung by Christians as an anthem of faith in Christ amidst those who threatened to destroy them. [3]
Is someone trying to hurt you? God is your refuge to whom you may flee. Proverbs 18:10 says, “The Name of the Lord is a strong tower, the righteous run to it and are safe.” When the enemy comes in like a flood, the banner that we raise against Him is the Name of Jesus. In Luke 10:17, 72 disciples returned to the Lord with joy, saying, “Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your Name!”
Psalm 91:4 says, “He shall cover you with His feathers, and under His wings you shall take refuge.” I heard the testimony of a woman who shouted at a would-be attacker, “Feathers, feathers, feathers!” She could not remember all the words of Psalm 91:4, but the Lord understood what she was trying to say and caused the man to panic and flee from her.
Are you in trouble? Remember, God is with you. He is your strength. Jesus told Paul amidst an insurmountable problem, “My grace is sufficient for you, for My strength is made perfect in weakness.” In 2 Corinthians 12:9-10, Paul wrote, “Therefore most gladly I will rather boast in my infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon me. Therefore I take pleasure in infirmities, in reproaches, in needs, in persecutions, in distresses, for Christ’s sake. For when I am weak, then I am strong.” Let God’s grace fill the gap that you cannot fill.
“Therefore we will not fear, even though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though its waters roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with its swelling. Selah!” Psalm 46:2-3
“We will not fear!” Even when the ground before our feet is shaking and disappearing. Even when mountains plunge like gigantic ships into the deep! Even when waters roar with the sound of a massive tsunami wave!
In John 16:33, Jesus said, “These things I have spoken to you, that in Me you may have peace. In the world you will have tribulation; but be of good cheer, I have overcome the world.”
In John 14:27, Jesus said, “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.”
In 2 Timothy 1:7, Paul wrote, “For God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and of love and of a sound mind.”
In Philippians 1:27-28, Paul wrote, “Stand fast in one spirit with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel, and not in any way terrified by your adversaries, which is to them a proof of perdition, but to you of salvation, and that from God.”
How do we retain faith in the face of fear evoking events? The answer is by keeping our mind and our faith focused on the Gospel.
In Romans 8:31-32, Paul wrote, “What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?”
“There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.” Psalm 46:4
The river that makes glad the city of God alludes to the waters of Siloam, which according to Isaiah 8:6, flow softly by Jerusalem. [4] Spiritually speaking, the river is the Holy Spirit. In John 7:38, Jesus said, “He who believes in Me, as the Scripture has said, out of his heart will flow rivers of living water.” John 7:39 explains, “This He spoke concerning the Spirit whom those believing in Him would receive...”
“God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved. God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.” Psalm 46:5
We are not moved because Jesus Christ, the Son of God, is the rock on whom we stand. In Matthew 16:16-18, after Peter said of Jesus, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” Jesus said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it.”
God’s help is like the bursting forth of dawn after a night of darkness. Proverbs 4:18 says, “The path of the just is like the shining sun, that shines ever brighter unto the perfect day.”
“The nations raged. The kingdoms were moved. He uttered His voice, the earth melted.” Psalm 46:6
David experienced the raging of his nation and the movement of his kingdom against him. King Saul directed his army to locate and kill him. Thankfully, the Lord uttered His voice. In 1 Samuel 23:26, David and King Saul were on opposite sides of a mountain. As Saul and his men closed in on one side of a mountain, David hurried away on the other, just before a Philistine raid forced Saul to stop the pursuit. God uttered His voice and diverted Saul’s army away from David.
In 2 Kings 19, the king of Assyria had Jerusalem surrounded with his mighty army. He raged against David’s descendant King Hezekiah. Hezekiah placed his enemy in the Lord’s hand. In 2 Kings 19:35-37, the Lord sent an angel and that angel destroyed 185,000 Assyrian soldiers. The king of Assyria retreated, and after he returned to his homeland, his sons killed him.
In Ezekiel 39:1-8 , the Lord speaks prophetically of Gog coming with a mighty army to destroy Jerusalem, but the Lord intervenes with fire and destroys them. Similarly, in Revelation 20:7-10, fire comes down from heaven and destroys the armies of Gog and Magog. When they come against “the beloved city” to destroy it, God utters His voice and they melt.
In Psalm 2, the Lord asks, “Why do the nations rage, and the people plot a vain thing?” Kings and rulers set themselves against the Lord and against His Anointed. What does God do? He sits in the heavens and laughs. The Lord advises them to “kiss the Son, lest He be angry, and they perish in the way.” Here, kiss has the meaning to worship.
In Acts 9:4-5, Jesus said to Saul of Tarsus, “Saul, Saul, why are you persecuting Me? I am Jesus, whom you are persecuting, It is hard to kick against the goads.” A goad is a tool used to prod animals into motion. “To kick against the goads” is an idiomatic expression that means it is futile to fight against a superior power. [5] In Acts 9:6, “trembling and astonished, he said, “Lord, what do You want me to do?” Then the Lord said to him, “Arise and go into the city, and you will be told what you must do.” The Lord stilled the rage of Saul of Tarsus and filled him with peace.
“The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah! Come, behold the works of the Lord, who has made desolations in the earth. He makes wars cease to the end of the earth. He breaks the bow and cuts the spear in two. He burns the chariot in the fire.” Psalm 46:7-9
When the Lord is with us and moving among us, miracles happen! He brings down that which has been holding back the tide of His love. Wars, bows, spears and chariots speak of an economy that depends on the death and destruction of people. A warlike people that have no interest in love, peace and joy! Jesus Christ is the Prince of Peace. Jesus brings peace!
In Isaiah 2:4, the Lord prophesied of a day when, “He shall judge between the nations, and rebuke many people. They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore.”
Similarly, In Revelation 21:4, the Lord prophesies of a day when, “God will wipe away every tear from their eyes. There shall be no more death, nor sorrow, nor crying. There shall be no more pain, for the former things have passed away.” Eventually, wars will cease to exist.
“Be still and know that I am God. I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth!” Psalm 46:10
God says to enemies who rage and burst out at us like a violent storm, “Be still!” In Mark 4:37-39, a great windstorm arose. Waves of water entered the boat. The boat began to fill with water. “Jesus was in the stern asleep on a pillow. The disciples of Jesus woke Him up and said to Him, ‘Teacher, do You not care that we are perishing?’ Then Jesus arose and rebuked the wind, and said to the sea, ‘Peace, be still!’ And the wind ceased and there was a great calm.” Jesus Christ the Son of God is a peacemaker.
In Matthew 5:9, Jesus said, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they shall be called sons of God.”
Once, I met a man in China who hated Christians. He accused Christians of devilish deeds. I told the man, “I don’t know about those stories, but I do know that since I met Christ, He has not led me to hurt anyone. In fact, I am in your country helping orphans.”
In John 13:35, Jesus said, “By this everyone will know that you are My disciples, if you love one another.”
God’s love brings peace. 1 John 4:18 says, “There is no fear in love. Perfect love casts out fear.”
Jesus had perfect love. In Luke 23:24, after His enemies crucified and mocked Him, He prayed, “Father, forgive them for they do not know what they are doing.”
Stephen had perfect love. In Acts 7:57-60, as his murderers threw stones at him to kill him, and he was about to die, he prayed for them, “Lord, do not charge them with this sin.”
“The Lord of hosts is with us. The God of Jacob is our refuge. Selah!” Psalm 46:11
The God of heavenly armies has an eternal place of refuge for us. Hebrews 11:16 speaks of God’s faithful ones as desiring a heavenly country. Like Moses in Hebrews 11:25-27, we choose to be with God’s people rather than to enjoy the passing pleasures of sin. We esteem the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt because in Christ we have a greater reward. We overcome the unjust wrath of kings by keeping our eyes on Him who is invisible.
In November 1970, at age 18, Ivan Moiseyev (Vanya) of Moldova, entered the Soviet Union’s army. Vanya’s supervisors hated him because he testified for Christ. At one point, they forced him to stand outside in a summer uniform when temperatures were -13 degrees. But he did not freeze, nor did he beg for mercy. No, what his torturers thought would cause him pain and death, God turned into a miracle. God gave Vanya spectacular visions of heaven and kept him alive. [6] God was his refuge.
How do we be still and know that God is God? Be a receiver! Receive and believe what God says. For example, when ill, the Lord says in Exodus 15:26, “I am the Lord that heals you.” Pray in the Name of Jesus. Wait and listen! God reveals to us what we need to know about Him by His Spirit. As William Cowper said, “God moves in mysterious ways, His wonders to perform.” [7]
[1] Brown-Driver-Briggs (Old Testament Hebrew-English Lexicon)
[2] Jamieson-Fausset-Brown Commentary
[3] DesiringGod.org
[4] Matthew Henry’s Commentary
[5] GotQuestions.org
[6] Vanya by Myrna Grant, published by Charisma House, Lake Mary, FL, (c) 1974
[7] The hymn, “God Moves” was composed by William Cowper in 1773
[6] Vanya by Myrna Grant, published by Charisma House, Lake Mary, FL, (c) 1974
[7] The hymn, “God Moves” was composed by William Cowper in 1773
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